Towel-dispensing device



s. VAN DER WYKH TOWEL DISPENSING DEVICE. 1 APPLICATION FILED MAY 7.I917. RENEWED DEC. 30. I920,

Patented Aug. 9, 119210 UNHTED STATES SALLY VAN DER WY K, 0F MILWAUKEE,WISCONSIN.

TOWEL-DISPENSING DEVICE.

Application filed May 7, 1917, Serial No. 166,825.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SALLY VAN DER WYK. a subject of the Emperor ofGermany, and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and Stateof Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTowel-Dispensing Devices; and I do hereby declare that the following isa full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in toweldispensing devices and refers particularly to such a device having meansfor selectively furnishing a clean towel upon the deposit of a coin inthe device.

The essential object of my invention is to provide a device of thischaracter which will have novel means for preventing a person fromreceiving more than one towel and which will have a device in connectionwith the towel supply rack for receiving the used towels.

A further object ofthis inventionis the provision of a towel dispensingcabinet which may be readily replenished with clean towels and whichwill have means for displaying a sign when the clean towel rack isempty.

A still further object ofmy invention is to provide an efficient andpractical towel dispensingdevice which will be extremely simple andinexpensive in construction and which under no condition will supplymore than one clean towel at one operation.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, my invention resides in the novel construction,arrangement and combination of parts, substantially as hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that such changes in thepreclse embodiment of the herein disclosed invention may be made as comewithin the scope of the claims.

In the accompanying drawin s I have illustrated one. complete examp e ofthe physical embodiment of my invention constructed according to thebest mode Ihave so far devised for the practical application of theprinciples of my invention.

Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view through a toilet cabinetequipped with my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the upper compartment of the cabinetillustrating the novel means for selectively supplying clean towels,part being shown in section and part Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 9, 1921. Renewed December 30, 1920. Serial No. 434,111.

in Elevation for the purpose of illustration, an

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the rack for receiving the used towels, saidrack also acting as a towel magazine.

My invention is used in connection with a suitable toilet cabinet 5divided into a series of compartments '6, 7 8, 9, and 10, thecompartments 6, 9, and 10 pertaining to my invention and thecompartments 7 and 8 being used for any desired purpose.

Mounted in the upper compartment 6 is the mechanism for dispensing thetowels, comprising a towel bar or receiving rack 11 which has its innerend grooved as at 12 to engage atransverse pin 13 carried by a socket 14formed on a plate 15 fixed to the wall of the compartment 6. The towels16 have 'each in one corner thereof a metal bushing 17 for slidableengagement with the bar 11, and as will be apparent from Figs. 1 and 2the clean towels are carried by said bar which has its outer endsocketed as at 18.

to receive a spring dog 19 formed with the lip 20 having one facestraight to prevent dislodgement of a towel IWheIl the dog is in normalposition and its other face camshaped for the reasons hereinafterstated. These towels are urged outwardly from the bar by the spiralspring 21 coiled around the bar having its inner end bearing against acollar or sleeve 22 and its outer end against a collar or sleeve 23, thecollar 23 bearing against the innermost towel as shown more clearly inFig. 2.

This bar 11 is in connection with a used towel receiving rack or bar 24by means of a flexible cord or tube 25 having its end 26 detachablysecured in the outer end of the bar 11, the flexible cord 25 having itsend 26' detachably secured to the bar 24. The bar 24 is detachablysecured in the socket 27 of a bracket 28 by means of its flanged end 29engaging the spring urged gripping socket (not shown) of the socket 27,the same being locked in position by means of a lock 30, the bar 24acting as a magazine for the used towels and for the delivery of cleantowels as will be hereinafter described' The bar 11 is also detachablyheld in its socket 14 by means of a pivoted hasp 31 engaging the slot inthe inner end of the bar as at 32 and locked in lace by means of a lock33. When it is esired to obtain a clean towel, in case the towels are tobe gratis, a finger engaging knob 34 is employed having its shank 35slidably mounted in a ollar 36, the inner end of the shank engaging andad: pted to depress a spring finger 37, which will be later described,and when the machine is located in a public service station, a coincontrolled mechanisn': is utilized having an entrance slot 38 for thecoin in con'ununica-tion with an inclined slot 39 having therein asuitable outlet 44) for the coin.

This coin controlled mechanism is of well known construction comprisinga pair of slide members 41 and mounted in the slot 32 and spaced apartto allow entrance therebetween of a coin and pivotally secured to themember 12 is an arm 13 operated by a handle it. The member all carryin astub arm 15 adapted to engage an arm at formed on a shaft 47 having onits other end an arm as adapted to engage the spring finger 37 in amanner similar to the finger depressing device 35.

Thus it will be seen that when a clean towel is desired, a coin isplaced in. the entrance slot 38 and the handle -14 is manipulated whichwill depress the arm 48, as it will be readily apparent and in turndepress the outer end of the arm 37 freeing a single towel ashereinafter described.

When this spring finger 37 is depressed, its outer downturned arm 4-9,which is forked as at 5() and has centrally therebetween a tooth 51,engages the extreme outer end of the spring dog 19 depressing the dogand with it the lip 20 to permit a single towel to pass thereover andabut against the inner face of the arm 49; as will be apparent, thespace between the lip 20 and arm 49 being only sufficient for asingletowel. lVhen the lever 44 is returned to neutral position the springlinger 37 will again resume normal position, freeing the outermost towelas before described and allowing the operator to withdraw the same fromthe uppermost cabinet for use. After usage thereof, the same is allowed.to drop into the lower compartment 10 which is equipped with a pair ofinwardly swinging doors 53 to allow the soiled towel to fall into theconuaartment 10 and at the same time prevent its unauthorized removal.

When. it is desired to replenish the supply of clean towels and toremove the used towels, the flexible cord 25 is detached from both racks11 and 2 the used towels are secured upon the rack 24 by means of thecollars 54 and 55; the collar 54 being fixed thereon and the collar 55being detachably secured or held in place by chains 56 having a spring57 intermediate thereof as shown in Figs. 1 and 3; and the clean towelsare placed upon the rack 11 by inserting the reduced end 58 of the bar24; having the clean towels thereon and sliding the same on to said bar11 ,as will be obvious, the cam stace of the lip 20 allowing the towelsto pass thereover. The empty rack 2+1 is then replaced in its socket 27and the flexible cord 25 replaced and the machine is ready for useagain.

In order to let the public know when the supply of clean towels isexhausted, one side of the cabinet near its top has therein a window 59and further a sign (it) is employed carried by a chain 61 having itsends secured to the collars 22 and 23 as shown by Figs. 2 and 8. Thissign is so retained by chain '61 as to at all times keep its front faceparallel with a sight opening (32 in the front of the cabinet so thatwhen the last clean towel is removed from the upper cabinet it will bediscernible through the sight opening 62, as more clearly shown in Fig.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing it will be readily appreciated that the bar 11 is alwaysretained in place unless for pur pose of repair, and when the towelsupply man brings clean towels upon a bar 24 and removes the soiled oneswith another bar 21, the bar which he brings with clean towels takingthe place of the one removed with soiled towels as before described.

I claim:

1. A towel dispensing cabinet having a rack mounted therein. towelshaving bushings in one corner thereof slidably mounted on the rack,spring means intermediate the innermost towel and the inner end of saidrack. a spring dog fixed in the outer end of the rack to preventunauthorized dislodgment of the towels, and means for depress ing thedog to selectively supply said towels.

2. A towel dispensing cabinet having a rack mounted therein, cleantowels having bushings in one corner thereof slidably mounted on therack, means intermediate the innermost towel and the inner end of therackfor urging the towels toward the end of the rack, a spring dog inthe outer end of the rack for prei'enting unauthorized dislodgment ofthe towels, and a spring finger adapted to operate upon the spring dogto selectively supply clean towels.

3. A toweldispensing device having a rack mounted therein, towelscarried by the rack, a spring stop intermediate the outer end of therack and the outermost towel, a spring finger adapted to operate uponsaid stop when disposed to selectively permit the removal of towels fromthe rack, and a coin controlled device for depressing the spring finger.

4. A towel dispensing cabinet having a rack mounted in the upperportion. thereof,

said rack being adapted to slidably mount clean towels. and meansoperating upon the rack for selectively supplying the towels carried bythe rack, a second rack detacl'iably mounted in the lower end of thecabinet, a

aeesie flexible connection between both racks to permit the used towelsto drop to the bottom 1 of the cabinet to engage the last named rack,

- cabinet to engage the last named rack, said last named rack beingadapted to be removed with the used towels secured thereupon assubstantially described.

6. In a towel dispensing device, a clean towel rack, means actingthereupon for selectively supplying clean towels, a used towel receivingrack, and means carried by thelast named rack for retaining the usedtowels thereon in order that they may be removed in one bundle, saidlast named rack also performing the functions of a clean towel magazinesubstantially as described. 1'

7. A towel dispensing device comprising a clean towel compartment and asoiled towel compartment, a towel rack in each of said compartments,means operating upon the rack in the clean towel compartment forsupplying clean towels, means connecting the two towel racks to permitengagement of the soiled towels with the rack in said soiled towelcompartment, and an empty sign following the innermost towel forindicating when the clean towel rack is empty, substantially asdescribed.

8. A towel dispensing device comprising a rack adapted to-receive asupply of clean towels, a recess formed in the outer end of said rack, aspring dog having its inner end fixed in said recess and its outer endprojecting outwardly of said rack through a slot therein communicatingwith said recess, said dog retaining towels on said rack, a followerhead slidably mounted on said rack intermediate the inner end thereofand the innermost towel on said rack, an expansile spring coiled aboutsaid rack intermediate said follower head and the inner end of said rackwhereby the follower head is urged outwardly, and means operable uponsaid spring dog whereby one towel at a time is permltted to pass overthe end thereof projecting through said slot, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand atMilwaukee in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin.

SALLY VAN DER WYK.

